Subject Matter Experts

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Cary P. Frye

Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs

Cary Frye leads the association's regulatory team covering the areas of food safety, food defense, federal standards of identity, labeling, international Codex Alimentarius standards, nutrition policy, environmental and worker safety. With extensive experience in dairy product processing and quality assurance, Frye has served IDFA member companies for almost 20 years, representing member companies on food labeling and standards of identity, ingredient technologies, nutrition and health issues, and product safety.

She is active on domestic and international regulatory issues. As an active participant of the International Dairy Federation, Frye chairs the United States affiliate to IDF and is a member of the IDF Standing Committee on Standards of Identity and Labeling. She has been active in international standard-setting, advising U.S. delegations on Codex standards and has served as the head delegate for IDF at the Codex Committee on Food Labeling. She has also served on the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments’ Executive Board and Liaison Committee, and chairs the Conference’s Program Committee.

Her work has been published in professional journals and textbooks, including "Dairy Processing and Quality Assurance" and "Manufacturing Yogurt and Fermented Milks," published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing and “Beverage Impacts on Health and Nutrition,” published by Humana Press. See LinkedIn profile.

John T. Allan III

Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and International Standards

John Allan directs all aspects of IDFA's food safety training initiatives, leads efforts related to product safety issues and has responsibilities in federal and state regulatory affairs. He engages on behalf of IDFA members with 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc., and the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS). Allan also helps represent IDFA’s international trade interests through his seat on the U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Trade Representative Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) for Trade of Processed Foods, as well as through engagement with the International Dairy Federation and the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex).

Prior to joining IDFA, Allan was the director of regulatory and international affairs for the National Yogurt Association, the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and AFFI’s affiliated associations: the National Frozen Pizza Institute, Frozen Potato Products Institute and the Frozen Food Foundation.

Allan also has regulatory and technical affairs experience in the infant formula industry and has worked for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization helping develop Codex international food standards. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and a Master of Science in food science and technology. See LinkedIn profile.

Danielle Quist

Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs and Counsel

Danielle Quist works with members and government agencies on environmental, worker safety, bioengineered foods labeling and sustainability issues. She also serves as the association’s legal counsel on issues involving contracts, antitrust, and statutory and regulatory interpretation.

Quist comes to IDFA from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), where she worked for nearly 14 years, most recently as senior counsel for public policy. She also was co-lead for AFBF’s legal advocacy program, winning cases, resolving issues and securing policy outcomes for farms, ranches and the entire agricultural community. Before that, Quist worked on Capitol Hill as a counsel on the House Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs. She also was an associate at Howrey Simon Arnold & White, LLP, and served as a law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Quist earned her Juris Doctor and bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University. She is a member of the D.C. and New York Bars. See LinkedIn profile.

J. David Carlin

Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs and Economic Policy

J. David Carlin leads the association's legislative, political and economic policy activities. He was a partner with the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP until joining IDFA and has extensive experience in food and agriculture policy. Carlin has represented numerous food and agricultural companies, cooperatives and trade associations before the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

After graduating from Harvard Law School, Carlin joined Akin Gump in 1988. In 1995, President Bill Clinton appointed him to serve as Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations under Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman at USDA. As head of the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations, Carlin served as the primary USDA liaison with Congress and the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. He returned to Akin Gump in 1998 to focus his practice on public law and policy matters. His interest in agricultural and public policy began on the family dairy farm founded by his grandfather in 1940. See LinkedIn profile.

Tony Eberhard

Vice President, Legislative Affairs

Tony Eberhard joined the IDFA team in May 2017. He works with members on policy development and legislative strategy while advocating for dairy foods companies and the dairy industry before the Congress and the Administration. Before joining IDFA, he was the deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) and guided the senator's legislative agenda, overseeing efforts on the farm bill, biotechnology labeling issues, immigration reform and White House budget negotiations.

Before that, he was a senior principal responsible for legislative affairs at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and also worked as a staff member to Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), then ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Eberhard also was deputy legislative director and then acting legislative director for Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), where he established the senator as a leader on agricultural issues with a focus on dairy and rural development.

Eberhard began his career on Capitol Hill in the House of Representatives, working first for Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-MO) and then Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO). He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo.

Beth Hughes

Senior Director of International Affairs

Beth Hughes is responsible for supporting the association's efforts on international trade and import and export issues. She also oversees IDFA's trade committee, as well as programming for the annual International Sweetener Colloquium. In collaboration with other dairy and food industry associations, Hughes has worked with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to promote and protect U.S. dairy interests in free trade agreements and held briefings on Capitol Hill about the importance of preserving the use of common food names.

Before joining IDFA, Hughes served for five years as manager of international policy for the USA Rice Federation. She developed and implemented international trade policy and promotion activities to support the U.S. rice industry and help small- and medium-sized U.S. enterprises in overseas export markets. She also analyzed domestic and international rice trends and prepared comments relating to non-tariff and technical barriers, such as sanitary and phytosanitary barriers.

Hughes earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at George Washington University and received a Master of Arts in international affairs from Florida State University. See LinkedIn profile.

Donald Grady

Manager, Legislative Affairs

Grady advocates for IDFA’s legislative policies and objectives with policymakers and other stakeholders, as well as assists with developing IDFA’s legislative goals and strategies.

He comes to IDFA from the office of U.S. Representative Jim Costa (D-Calif.) where Grady served as a legislative assistant. He coordinated and managed all legislative efforts and constituent services related to the agriculture industry and the House Agriculture Committee.

Before that, he was a legislative correspondent for U.S. Representative Jim Marshall (D-Ga.). Grady earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Denison University. See LinkedIn profile.

Colin Newman

Manager, Legislative Affairs & Political Programs

Newman is responsible for managing the association’s Political Action Committee (PAC) and grassroots advocacy activities. He also assists IDFA in organizing member visits to congressional offices in Washington, as well as congressional visits to member companies’ plants.

He comes to IDFA from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where he served as the manager for corporate relations. Before that, he worked at Morgan Meredith & Associates, a fundraising firm on Capitol Hill, where he fundraised for members of Congress, PACs and nonprofits. Newman also led a grassroots effort as a field director for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney during Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. Newman earned a bachelor’s degree in management at Gettysburg College. See LinkedIn profile.